localboot Installation USB Drive
Use the installation USB drive as an alternative installation method for devices that require a local boot or that have limited network connectivity to the openthinclient Management Server.
In all other cases, use PXE installation, as it's simpler and more reliable.
How it works
The localboot installation stick application writes a functional copy of the running ThinClient to the USB drive.
When booting another device from this stick, the system initially starts up identically to the source device. Only during the installation of localboot, the system loads the specific settings for the target device from the openthinclient Management Server and applies them.
Prerequisites
The following conditions must be met to create and use an installation stick:
- Use a bootable USB drive with at least 8 GB of storage capacity.
- Use a PXE-bootable thin client with the same hardware type and client settings as the target devices.
- Ensure the target devices have network access (LAN or Wi-Fi) to the openthinclient Management Server.
- Manually register the target devices in the openthinclient Management Server.
If the device lacks an Ethernet port, use the MAC address of the Wi-Fi adapter.
- Assign each target device a localboot application — select a different application than the one used to create the installation USB drive.
Instructions
- Create a localboot installation stick application
- Assign this application to a PXE-bootable thin client.
- PXE-boot the thin client.
- Create the installation USB drive on an external storage device.
- Boot the target device from the installation USB drive.
- The installer guide will now launch and guide through the installation
- Complete the installation — After successful installation:
- Restart the thin client
- Remove the installation USB drive
Configuration
Below, find an overview of the application’s configuration and settings options.
General Settings
| Setting |
Value |
Explanation |
| Autostart |
Yes No |
Whether the localboot configuration should start automatically when the thin client boots up. |
| Hide icon |
Yes Hide on desktop Disable |
Yes: Hide the application icon. Hide on desktop: Remove the icon from the desktop; it'll appear only in the menu and Run dialog. Show the application icon. Show the application icon |
| Custom icon | File name or absolute path on the ThinClient |
File name of the icon in <Manager-Home>/nfs/root/custom/icons |
| After closing the application |
Do nothing Log out user Shut down the thin client Restart ThinClient |
Specify the action to take when the application closes. |
General settings
| Setting |
Value |
Explanation |
| Unattended mode |
Yes No |
If this option is selected, the storage medium will be erased without prompting. |
| Hard drive to use |
Select during installation on ThinClient sda mmcblk0 mmcblk1 Manual entry, see next line |
|
| Manual device name | Device name |
To query the device name, open a shell on the thin client and enter the command |
| Use Hybrid MBR |
Yes No |
localboot creates a GUID partition table. Some thin clients with older BIOS versions require a hybrid MBR to boot. To address this requirement, create a hybrid MBR. Leave this setting unchanged whenever possible, and select Hybrid MBR only when encountering the issue described above. |
Wi-Fi Settings
Configure settings for PSK or open Wi-Fi connections.
After booting, the system attempts to connect to all specified Wi-Fi networks until it establishes a connection.
Note, if a wired connection isn't available, all communication with the openthinclient server takes place via Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi Connection 1 - 3
| Setting |
Value |
Explanation |
| SSID | Name of the Wi-Fi network | |
| Password | Wi-Fi network password |
If a password is specified, attempt a WPA (PSK) connection. If the password field's empty, the system attempts to connect to an open Wi-Fi network. |
| Band |
Auto 2.4 GHz 5 GHz |
Client-side restriction to a specific frequency band, even if the access point offers multiple bands. |
| Hidden SSID |
Yes No |
Enables connection to a hidden SSID. This uses a direct scan instead of the normal broadcast. Use this option only when required, as it slows down the scanning and, consequently, the connection process. |
| Additional Options |
Expert settings: Option to add any options at the end of the |
Roaming for Wi-Fi Connection 1 - 3
Enables transparent switching to another access point with the same SSID if it provides a better connection.
| Setting |
Value |
Explanation |
| Signal strength threshold (dBm) |
Enable roaming -85 dBm to -65 dBm |
Threshold at which the system attempts to switch access points. As a rule of thumb, |
|
Short interval (s) |
Numerical |
Configure how often to search for better access points when the signal is below the threshold. |
|
Long interval (s) |
Numeric |
How often to search for alternative access points when the signal is stronger than the threshold. |